Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Trailer Is Officially Here & You Might Cry
The franchise found a sweet way to pay homage to Dame Maggie Smith, too.
It’s been a few years since we’ve been with the Grantham family at Downton Abbey, but now we officially have a trailer for the franchise’s final installment — Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. With the official name of the third movie in the film series (continuing the story from the ITV series that started in 2010) being announced earlier this spring, fans have been waiting anxiously for their first look at what’s to come for the Granthams and all of the characters we love so dearly.
Because this is it — truly. Creator Julian Fellowes has shared that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will be set in the same universe as another hit of his, The Gilded Age, and the tagline for this new film is succinct: “The time has come to say goodbye to Downton Abbey. Focus Features is bringing the beloved Crawley household to theaters for the final installment of the wildly successful franchise written by creator Julian Fellowes,” reported Indie Wire. And the trailer really seems to tug on all the hearts of fans who have been following these characters for over a decade.
Swoon, am I right? Set in 1930, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will follow Lady Mary as she handles high society London life while Lord and Lady Grantham are running the Yorkshire country estate, reported Variety. In the trailer, you can already see some moments of each of these new ventures, including Lady Mary updating some fashion looks. But one of the sweetest parts of the entire trailer is when Lady Mary stops as she walks into Downton Abbey to look up with a wistful look on her face at a painting of her grandmother, Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, on the wall. Played by Dame Maggie Smith, the character dies in the 2022 movie, Downton Abbey: A New Era, so we’re sure to see more of the mourning period and characters speaking of her in this final film, which really adds to the nostalgia and sweetness of the series ending.
As far as casting goes for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, all of our favorites are there. Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Arty Froushan, Joely Richardson, Paul Copley, and Douglas Reith are all reprising roles, as well as Paul Giamatti, who first appeared in the original series.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale feels like one of those films that will not only honor and continue a gorgeous story, but will also honor the fans and play to some of our emotions about the series officially ending. The film is set to release in theaters on Sept. 12, 2025.
